View Full Version : H.M.S. Glory, Gibraltar 1950
In 1950, H.M.S. Glory (R62) a 17,000 ton Colossus-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy laid down on 27 August 1942 & commisioned 1945 was At Gibraltar.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8488/8200010441_6aced544a2_c.jpg
Seafire, Firefly & Sea Fury on deck plus a Sea Otter sea plane immediately forward of the bridge. You probably wont be able to identify the aircraft in this image. If you go to here: - http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8488/8200010441_6aced544a2_b.jpg
You can download the image and zoom in.
Pontius Navigator
19th Nov 2012, 19:29
Lovely photo. Isn't it a shame that we can have more carriers like that smaller than the Invincibles.
Not sure where that photo was taken but it doesn't look like Gib.
Fareastdriver
19th Nov 2012, 19:48
I see they have got the awnings up for 'Cockers'.
Pontius Navigator,
I am glad you wrote that. I agree. I initially put Malta, but then looked at the back of the photo which says "Gib".
Great photo.
My initial thought on seeing the photo was that it reminded me of
Gallipoli, Turkey or the Turkish coastline around there.
US Aircraft R.A.F. Hal Far 1950.
Anyone recognise the aircraft?
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8197/8200306769_16a6b60f14_c.jpg
polecat2
19th Nov 2012, 21:12
US Aircraft R.A.F. Hal Far 1950.
Anyone recognise the aircraft?
North American AJ Savage?
Blanket Stacker
19th Nov 2012, 21:18
They are North American AJ-2 Savages.
(Sorry didn't see Post 7 before I submitted this.)
Blanket Stacker & Polecat2,
Well done and thank you.
USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, USS Franklin D. Roosevelt marsaxlokk, Malta March 1951.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8350/8200374153_25c006c493_c.jpg
Now you know why the Savages were at R.A.F. Hal Far.
The North American AJ Savage P2Vs could only operate from the USS Midway, USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the USS Coral Sea. They were the US Navy's first nuclear bomber.
Pontius Navigator
19th Nov 2012, 21:33
I think Glory might just be at Marsaxlokk.
One for me, for which I apologise.
H.M.S. St. Kitts, D18, Battle-class destroyer off Malta 1951.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8480/8201563010_aaac5ce4e3_c.jpg
GreenKnight121
20th Nov 2012, 02:10
Now you know why the Savages were at R.A.F. Hal Far.
The North American AJ Savage P2Vs could only operate from the USS Midway, USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the USS Coral Sea. They were the US Navy's first nuclear bomber.
Wrong on several points.
1. The North American AJ-1/2 Savage was a completely different aircraft from the Lockheed P2V Neptune.
2. The P2V was used temporarily aboard the 3 carriers you list, as an interim nuclear bomber pending completion of the AJ Savage development. It lacked folding wings, so had to remain on deck... and they were intended to not return to the carrier, but to land at the closest friendly land airfield to their target.
3. The AJ Savage was operated from many Essex class carriers. All that was needed was the SCB-27A modernization, which strengthened the flight deck, increased the strength of the arresting gear, and replaced the WW2-era H-4 hydraulic catapults with the same H-8s as were in the Midway class.
Here is a site with several photos of AJ Savages operating from axial-deck Essex class carriers in 1952-53 (2-3 years before they received angle decks or steam catapults). Naval Aviation Resource Center - NORTH AMERICAN AJ-1 SAVAGE - A Warbirds Resource Group Site (http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/NARG/savage.html)
Greenknight121,
Thank you for correcting me and thank you for the link.
I like the look of the AJ-1/2 Savage. Do you know if it was considered a success in its brief life?
Pontius Navigator
20th Nov 2012, 10:43
hval, the Roosevelt photo is not very good but that headland looks very like the one in the Glory pic. Just about clinches it with Marsalokk being used as a carrier mooring.
Fox3WheresMyBanana
20th Nov 2012, 10:46
Definitely not Gib. I go with PN's Malta. I would suggest it was taken from the ground in front of the St Lucien tower, near Marsaxlokk.
Union Jack
20th Nov 2012, 14:27
I think Glory might just be at Marsaxlokk.
I think she might just not be - even for 1950, there seems to be too much vegetation around, and the harbour looks larger and the headlands in the photo look far higher than those I recall.
To be fair to the Marsaxlokk supporters, I note that GLORY did visit Malta several times between Dec 49 and Jul 50 but ... to be fair to me, I note that most of the headland on the north side of the entrance is less than 100 feet high!
GLORY sadly ended her days afloat swinging around a buoy off Blackness in the Firth of Forth - with her flight deck covered in a fine crop of long grass ....:sad:
Jack
ImageGear
20th Nov 2012, 19:28
"The ship returned to the United Kingdom in 1947 and was then placed in reserve. In November 1949, the ship was taken out of reserve and fully returned to service just over a year later in December 1950.
Glory then deployed to Korea in April 1951 for the first of three wartime deployments"
So up until December she was "Out of Commission" so I think the date might be wrong.
It looks very much like Trincomalee to me and she spent a lot of time there... Looking towards Foul Point on the right ??
http://www.hms-glory-assoc.org.uk/images/Trinco-45.jpg
Imagegear
ImageGear,
The date, I do know, is correct. October 1949 she departed Devonport dockyard returning to the Med. for more exercises and flag showing including the fleet visit to Malta for H.R.H. Princess Elizabeth’s visit. In December she was on her way home to re-commission and go to the Far East for the Korean War.
papajuliet
20th Nov 2012, 21:12
Glory was in Malta at beginning of 1950. Left there 4 1 50. Brief return then left on 23 1 50 for Naples. Five day visit then left for Tripoli. Return to Malta 6 2 50.Left there 27 2 50. Manoeuvres off Malta. Put into Palmas Bay, Sardinia. Later exercised with units of French Fleet and anchored off Golfe Juan close to Cannes. By 16 3 50 at Old Port Algiers. Gibraltar on 22 3 50. Refitted there until 16 5 50. Left for Corfu arriving 14 6 50. Return to Malta. Rejoined exercise on 21 6 50. At Skiathos Island in the Aegean on 23 6 50. then Piraeus for five day visit before moving to Marmaris, Turkey. Then to Larnaca, Cyprus. On 18 7 50 rejoined the fleet and operated from Khrysokhou Bay in Anglo-Greek exercises. 21 7 50 Alexandria. 30 7 50 Malta again. In Sept. cruise to Marseilles, Tangier and Gibraltar. 1 10 50 at Malta again for two month refit. Left 8 12 50 for Gibraltar. Left there for Devonport on 12 12 50 arriving there on 15 12 50.
A few of those anchorages would fit the photo.
All the above is from the book "The Colossus- Class Aircraft Carriers 1944-1972" by Neil McCart.